Inclusionary schools occur through purposeful leadership, and the principal is the key to lead others through the process of change. This pilot study surveyed 155 principals of small rural schools in Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wyoming to gather information about the ways in which principals administer special education programs in their…

A study explored rural African American parents' perceptions of their own and teachers' levels of communication and involvement during the prereferral phase of the special education process. Nine African American parents from rural Mississippi, whose children received special education services, completed questionnaires and participated in a group…

Researchers at Utah State University's special education department compared the performance of student teachers on dimensions that reflected pedagogical practices known to promote effective teaching of special education students. This study evaluated and compared dimensions of special education teaching performance among student teachers from…

The National Association of State Directors of Special Education, through its Research Institute of Assistive and Training Technologies (RIATT@NASDSE), has developed a planned approach to professional development in the area of assistive technology using distance education. This award-winning distance education program offers convenient,…

In the past decade, disappointing national outcomes have been reported regarding the transition of youth with disabilities to community and work environments. The transition outlook is even more dismal for rural youth with disabilities, in light of geographic barriers to special education service delivery, lack of jobs in rural areas, and rural…

This paper provides background information on the nature of rural communities and examines factors that influence educational services for students with visual impairments in these communities. Characteristics that are most often mentioned in defining rural areas are lack of public transportation, distance from a metropolitan area, size of nearest…

There is an evolving paradigm shift in the field of rural education away from emulating urban schools and toward a pedagogy of place. This shift is influenced by the following trends: 1) the rediscovery of the unique features of rural and small schools as strengths to be nurtured, not problems to be solved; 2) the recognition that centralized,…

Distance education is a way to provide needed instructional resources to rural schools, and the Internet and other telecommunications networks are the newest addition to the distance education toolkit. However, little is known about rural teachers' technological skills and attitudes in this area. A mail survey of 262 K-12 teachers in West…

A survey examined perceptions among superintendents, principals, and special education administrators concerning the role of the special education administrator in West Virginia school systems. All 55 county school superintendents, all 55 district-level special education administrators, and 150 public school principals were sent a survey…

The Rural Special Education Project is a federally funded partnership between Kayenta Unified School District and Northern Arizona University's (NAU) Center for Excellence in Education that aims to prepare well qualified special education teachers to work in rural and reservation schools. The participants are Native American residents working…

This paper critiques current "school-to-work" practices in rural schools. A look at the rural context reveals that rural workers are more likely to be unemployed and are paid less than workers elsewhere, resulting in high rural poverty. In addition, many kinds of rural decline (in services, transportation, job availability) are tied to…

The National Clearinghouse for Professions in Special Education (NCPSE) is a federally funded project that collects and disseminates information on the training and available supply of special education professionals. Pertinent information on the supply, demand, and need of special education teachers in rural areas is difficult to find. This…

This paper represents a brief history of rural education in Fayette County (Texas) from 1918 through 1975. The paper focuses on the personal narratives of Harry Loeb, the last official superintendent of Fayette County and Emma Diedt, a 50-year Fayette County teacher. The narratives describe Fayette County schools, school politics, and the…

An overview of the history of rural school consolidation in north central Iowa reveals that by 1994, 9 of the 10 high schools in towns of less than 500 in 1940 had closed, and 3 of the 5 high schools in towns with populations of 500-999 had closed. However, all three towns with populations over 1,000 in 1940 had high schools in 1993-94. This…

This case study examines the impacts of South Plains College (SPC) (Levelland, Texas) on the local rural economy of Hockley County in which it is situated, as well as on the economy of neighboring, more metropolitan Lubbock County. The study addressed both business volume and employment impacts. Direct business volume impact was derived from four…